Lawrence Hautz

Larry Hautz
Born	August 19, 1908 Ohio, USA
Died	February 12, 1999 Zimbabwe
NSA member	United States 1953 - 1954

Lawrence "Larry" Albert Hautz (August 19, 1908 - February 12, 1999) was an American Bahá'í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. He later pioneered to Zimbabwe and was instrumental in the early history of the Faith in that country.

Background

Hautz was born in Ohio in 1908, and was raised in Bay View. As an adult his career was as an insurance salesman and he lived in Whitefish Bay in Milwaukee where he worked with the Boy Scouts, managing the county drum and bugle corps, and with environmental groups, serving as state president and national director of the Izaak Walton League, building a wildlife refuge at Pewaukee Lake, and establishing a wildlife sanctuary in Rhinelander. The Boy Scouts honored him for his conservation work.

He became a Bahá'í in 1939 and was active in the community. In 1946 he chaired a public meeting on the Faith in Minneapolis. At the 1947 National Convention he suggested a national census of the Bahá'í community in order to identify individuals talents and abilities, to resolve the issue of a few being overworked with others not being utilized by the community. In November 1947 he gave a talk as part of a series of talks titled Why Different Religions held by the University of Life at Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church in Minneapolis which resulted in a discussion that lasted for so long that the group had to be asked to vacate the Church. He taught at the 1947 Louhelen Summer School, and chaired the 1948 National Convention.

As of 1950 Lawrence was serving on the Temple Maintenance Committee. He went on pilgrimage in the early 50's, and was the first pilgrim from the west to arrive in the Holy Land after the end of World War II, and he stayed in the Holy Land for ninety days after his pilgrimage at the request of Shoghi Effendi, assisting with the acquisition of properties surrounding significant Bahá'í sites in the Holy Land. During his time there he presented some rose bushes from a shipment to the Guardian to the Mayor of Haifa. In 1952 he spoke on his pilgrimage at the United States National Convention. The Guardian wrote the following regarding Larry and his efforts in securing land in a cable sent in April, 1952:

"Desire (to) acknowledge (the) indefatigable efforts exerted (by the) first western Bahá'í pilgrim since opening (of the) door (of) pilgrimage, Lawrence Hautz, in hastening (the) successful termination (of the) protracted negotiations (with the) civil authorities (of the) Holy Land."

Shoghi Effendi also noted Larry and Leroy Ioas's efforts towards acquiring properties around the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh in a cable in November, 1952.

Carole Hautz, Larry's wife.

Lawrence was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly in September 1953 at a by-election held to replace three members of the Assembly who were pioneering to other countries. He was re-elected in 1954, but retired from the body later that year to pioneer to South Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, with his wife Carol with Ellsworth Blackwell being elected to serve in his place. He had been serving on the Central States Teaching Committee and Annual Convention Planning Committee as well prior to pioneering.

After arriving in Zimbabwe Lawrence and Carol founded a school which was for indigenous Zimbabwean children, the first to be established on a white owned property. He also established the first motel in Zimbabwe, a snake farm, an orchard of fruit and nut trees and also had an artificial lake made by damning a swamp for his workers to fish in. The motel was constructed with bricks made from a brickyard Larry established. He served on the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Harare when it was established in 1955.

At some point the Hautz's returned to the United States settling in California near Carol's relatives. Carol passed due to cancer in 1971, and Lawrence returned to Zimbabwe. In 1976 the first Bahá'í Children's School of Rhodesia was held on Larry's property. In 1980 the military of Zimbabwe seized Larry's school and motel for use as a barracks, cutting down the orchard and draining the lake, and Hautz moved to the city of Harare.

He passed away in Zimbabwe in 1999, with a funeral being held five days later in Harare. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message to the National Spiritual Assembly of Zimbabwe after his passing:

WE SHARE YOUR DEEP SENSE OF LOSS IN PASSING DEARLY LOVED LARRY HAUTZ, FAITHFUL, GENEROUS, ENERGETIC SERVANT BLESSED BEAUTY.

References

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Obituary
• Obituary published in Bahá'í World, Vol. 27, p 307.